Hopper-car and door therefor.



No. 699,8!9. Patented May I3, I902.

R. V. SAGE.

HOPPER CAR AND DOOR THEREFOR.

(Application filed Nov. 30, 1901.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet l.

WITNESSES, JNVENTOR. B a 21071 W Sage Patented May l3, I902.

R. V. SAGE.

HOPPER CAR AND DOOR THEREFOR.

(Application filed Nov. 30, 1901.)

4 Sheets-$heet 2.

(No Model.)

INVENTOR. J Ralph VTSaye :0. (5. \ZQQ ATT 5y WITJVESSES,

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N0. 699,8l9. Patented May l3, I902.

R. V. SAGE. HOPPER CAR AND DOOR THEREFOR.

(Application filed Nov. 30, 1901.)

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No. 699,819. Patented May '3, I902.

R. V. SAGE.

HOPPER CAR AND DOOR THEREFOR.

(Application filed Nov. 30, 1901.) (No Model.) 4SheetsSheat 4.

WITNESSES, INVENTOR. 1i aiph V 8 age THE "cams PETERS co. Pumoumu. WASHINGTON, b. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RALPH V. SAGE, OF WESTMONT, PENNSYLVANIA.

HOPPER-CAR AND DOOR THEREFOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters'Patent No. 699,819, dated May 13, 1902.

Application filed November 30, 1901. Serial No. 84,212. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH V. SAGE, a cilizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Westrnont, in the county of Oambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hopper- Oars and Doors Therefor; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention consists of improved construction of freight cars and doors therefor, with particular reference to what are known as self-clearing hopper-cars, from which an ordinary load of minerals or similar materials may be dumped by gravity after opening the doors at the bottom of the hoppers.

Certain of the objects of my invention are to provide a car which will have a very large capacity and at the same time keep the center of gravity of the car and its load at a low elevation with respect to the track, thus condncing to ease and safety in transportation, a form of door with connections and operating mechanism which will suit and cocperate with my improved construction of the carbody, and other improved constructions, as will hereinafter be more fully described.

In order to provide a car of great capacity without raising the center of gravity of the car and its lading, I make the sloping ends of my hopper-car in the form of an extended V, which continue downwardly to a point as near the rail as practicable without being dangerous in use, and to close the openings at the bottom of said sloping ends I provide doors of substantially trapezoidal form, deeper near the center of the car than at the sides, these doors being mounted upon hinges at their upper ends and secured together in pairs by means of a transverse beam, to the central part of which is attached a chain or other suitable member for closing and releasing said doors.

The slopingbottoins or ends of my improved car are arranged to incline downwardly from each side toward the longitudinal middle line of the car, a cross-section through this bottom having the form of an extended V, while ered by plates forming slopes ending in a ridge at the top in such a way as to discharge any material which may rest upon this portion of the construction, and, similarly, there is another ridge extending transversely at the center of the car, which also serves to discharge the material from these portions toward the doors, the form and arrangement of these longitudinal and transverse ridges in connection with the'sloping ends of the cars being such as to divide the lower portion of the hopper into four sections. The two sections of the hopper thus formed, which are on the same side of the transverse center line of the car, are each provided with an opening of trapezoidal form, the upper line of which is approximately level, the ends of which at the center are deeper than those at the sides, and these openings are closed by doors of corresponding trapezoidal form securedtogether in pairs by a beam, to the central portion of which the operating-chain or other mechanism is attached.

In addition to providing a form of bottom which gives increased capacitywithout raising the center of gravity of the car and its lading these trapezoidal doors are advantageous on account of the fact that the center of pressure of the load is nearer the center of the pair of doors and the point of attachment of the operating mechanism therefor than would be the case if rectangular doors were used. As the center of pressure is thus nearer the point of application of the forces which close and hold the doors, this form of door may be made lighter than a rectangular door, still remaining of equal strength, and this lightness is of distinct advantage in reducing the dead-load of the car and also naturally cheapens the cost of the door construction.

Having thus given this general description of certain features of my invention, I will now, in order to make my invention more clear, refer to the annexed four sheets of drawings, which form part of this specificalion, and in which like numbers refer to like parts.

Figure 1 is a plan view of somewhat more than one-half of my improved car. Fig. 2 is a corresponding vertical longitudinal sectional elevation on the line D D of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is'an end elevation. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional elevation on the line A A of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is acentral transverse vertical sectional elevation on the line B B of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a transverse vertical sectional elevation on the-line O C of Fig. 2.

Referring now to the characters of reference on the drawings, 1 represents the center sills, shown in this case of channel-section.

2 2 are the side channels, and 3 is the transverse ridge-support, shown as composed of two angles and a plate.

hopper are marked 4, shown as channels,

and othersupports for this portion are marked 5, shown as composed of plates and angles. The central transverse inclines are marked 6, said inclines being connected to the longitudinal incline or ridge 9by the corner connections 7, and similar corner connections 8 secure the transverse central inclines 6 to the nections between said sloping bottom and the longitudinal central incline or ridge 9.

,12 represents the corner connections between the sloping bottom 10 and the car sides 17. 13 represents similar connections between the upper end of the sloping bottom 10 and the vertical ends of the car 14, and 15 rep resents the lower portions of the hopper sides.

16 represents supports and braces for the lower portion of the sloping bottom 10, and secured thereto, as shown, also forming a portion of the seat for the doors.

. 17 represents the car sides, preferably formed of plates.

18 represents diagonal braces which connect the supports and braces 30 to the carframe, said supports and braces 30 being attached to the sloping bottom 10, as shown, and further secured at their ends to the side plates 17 by means of the angle brackets or connections 31. 29, 32, 34, and 37 are other similar supports and braces attached to the under side of the sloping bottom 10, the first named being bent at the ends and secured directly to the side plates 17, as indicated in Fig. 2, while the other supports and braces Nos. 32, 34, and 37 are also attached to the sloping bottom 10 and further secured to other parts of the construction by the connections 33, 35, 36, and 38, as shown. The three upper supports and braces Nos. 29, 30,

\ and 32 on the under side of the sloping bot- Supports for the central transverse inclined portions of thetom are preferably formed of one piece bent in V form and shaped as indicated on Fig. 3, while the supports and braces Nos. 34 and 37 are each made in two sections ending at the sides and near the center sills, as these members could not extend through and be made in one piece on account of the centersill construction, as may be understood on reference to the drawings.

19 represents doors, the trapezoidal form of which is clearly illustrated in Fig. 5. 20 represents the hinges for same. 21 is a beam which secures two of the said doors together, causing them to move as one piece. 22 is a chain attached to said connecting-beam for operating the doors, said chain being located between the center sills and below the central longitudinal ridge in an open space in such a way that it is free for operation at all times and not obstructed by the lading under any circumstances. 23 is a winding-shaft for the door-chain 22, which winding-shaft is supported in bearings 24, attached to the carframe. Said winding-shaft may be operated by means of a wrench or crank and held in position for keeping the doors closed in any reasonable or suitable manner-for example, by the use of a ratchet, pawl, and locking mechanism for said pawl; but for the sake of simplicity on the drawings I have not shown these details for operating the winding-shaft thereon, as they may be of any usual construction for this purpose, as may be readily understood.

25 indicates the car-truck, which may be of any usual form or construction.

26 represents inclined braces extending from the corners of the floor-framing to the vertical ends of the cars, as indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. 27 is a corner-plate for connecting said inclined braces to the fioor and car-framing, while 28 is an inner transverse brace for the car sides, secured thereto, as shown.

Although I have shown certain of my improvements in considerabledetail, I do not limit myself to the exact particulars of construction, arrangement, and sections shown and described, but may use such substitutions and modifications thereof as are embraced within the scope of my invention and as I pointed out in the claims.

Having thus given a description of my invention, what I desire to secure by Letters Patent is V 1. A hopper-car provided with a bottom sloping longitudinally from the ends toward the transverse middle line of the car,.said bottom also sloping transversely from the sides toward the longitudinal middle line of the car, a cross-section of said transverse slopes having the form of a V.

2. In a hopper-car, a bottom sloping downwardly from both ends, and from both sides in a V shape toward the center, supports and braces secured tothe lower sides of said bottom and attached to the adjoining portionsof the car construction.

3. In a hopper-car, a bottom sloping downsloping downwardly in both directions from the center, said bottom having trapezoidal wardly toward the center from both ends, and from both sides in a V shape, supports and braces secured to said bottom and to the adjoining portions of the car construction, said supports and braces being also connected to the floor-framing by intermediate braces.

4:. A hopper-car provided with a bottom sloping both longitudinally and transversely toward the center, a cross-section of the transverse slopes having the form of a V and a central incline sloping downwardly in both directions toward the ends.

5. A hopper-car provided with a bottom sloping both longitudinally and transversely toward the middle lines of the car, a central transverse incline sloping downwardly in both directions from the center of the car toward the ends, and a longitudinal central ridge extending downwardly about the central framing, thus forming fourcompartments at the lower portion of the hopper.

6. In a hopper-car provided with a bottom sloping both longitudinally and transversely toward the center of the car and forming trapezoidal openings at the lower portion thereof, doors of trapezoidal shape adapted to cooperate with said openings.

7. In a hopper-car provided with a bottom sloping both longitudinally and transversely toward the center thereof, doors of trapezoidal form adapted to cooperate with corresponding openings in the lower part of the hopperbottom, the adjacent doors on each side of the transverse center line being secured together in pairs by a connecting member.

8. A hopper-car provided with a bottom sloping transversely toward the center, doors of trapezoidal form adapted to cooperate with corresponding openings in said bottom, said doors being attached together in pairs by a connecting member, and operating mechanism attached to said connecting member intermediate of said doors for closing and releasing the same.

9. A hopper-car having a bottom sloping both longitudinally and transversely in a downward direction toward the center of said car and forming trapezoidal openings at the lower portion thereof, doors of trapezoidal form hinged to a horizontal support and arranged with their deeper ends adjacent, said doors being adapted to cooperate with the openings aforesaid.

10. In a hopper-car provided with a bottom sloping both longitudinally and transversely toward the center and forming trapezoidal openings at the lower ends thereof, hinged doors of trapezoidal form adapted to cooperate with the openings aforesaid, said doors being secured together in pairs by a connecting member to the intermediate portion of which operating mechanism is attached.

11. A hopper-car provided with a bottom sloping both longitudinally and transversely toward the center, a central transverse incline openings at the lower portion thereof, hinged trapezoidal doors arranged in pairs and adapted to cooperate with the openings aforesaid.

12. A hopper-car provided with a bottom sloping both longitudinally and transversely toward the center, a central transverse incline sloping downwardly in both directions from the center, said bottom having trapezoidal openings at the lower portion thereof, hinged doors of trapezoidal form, said doors being secured together in pairs by a connecting member and adapted to cooperate with the openings aforesaid.

13. A hopper-car provided with a bottom sloping both longitudinally and transversely toward the center, a central transverse incline sloping downwardly in both directions from the center, said bottom having trapezoidal openings at the lower portion thereof, hinged doors of trapezoidal form, said doors being secured together in pairs by a connecting member to the intermediate portion of which operating mechanism is attached.

14. A hopper-car providedwith a bottom sloping both longitudinally and transversely toward the center, a central transverse incline sloping downwardly in both directions from the center, a central longitudinal ridge slopin g downwardlyin both directions toward the sides, said bottom having trapezoidal openings at the lower portion thereof, hinged trapezoidal doors arranged in pairs and adapted to cooperate with the openings aforesaid.

15. A hopper-car provided with a bottom sloping both longitudinally and transversely toward the center, a central transverse incline sloping downwardly in both directions from the center, a central ridge sloping downwardly in both directions toward the sides, thus formin g four compartments at the lower portion of said hopper each of which compartments is provided with a trapezoidal opening at the lower portion thereof, hinged doors of trapezoidal form arranged in pairs and adapted to cooperate with the openings aforesaid.

16. A hopper-car provided with a bottom sloping both longitudinally and transversely toward the center, a central transverse incline sloping downwardly in both directions from the center, a central longitudinal ridge slopin g downwardly in both directions toward the sides, thus forming four compartments at the lower portion of said hopper, each of which compartments is provided with a trapezoidal opening at the lower portion thereof, hinged doors of trapezoidal form secured together in pairs by a connecting member and adapted to act in cooperation with the trapezoidal opening aforesaid.

17. A hopper-car provided with a bottom sloping both longitudinally and transversely toward the center, a central transverse incline sloping downwardly in both directions from the center, a central longitudinal ridge, thus forming four compartments at the lower portion of said hopper each of which is provided with a trapezoidal opening at the lower portion thereof, hinged doors of trapezoidal form secured together in pairs by a connecting member, and operating mechanism connected to said member intermediate of the doors.

18. A hopperbottom car provided with trapezoidal doors secured together in pairs by a connecting member, and mechanism for operating the same attached to said member intermediate of said doors.

19. A hopper-bottom car provided with hinged trapezoidal doors arranged With their deeper ends adjacent and secured together as a pair by a connecting member attached thereto, and operating mechanism connected to said member intermediate of said doors.

20. A hopper bottom car provided with trapezoidal doors secured together in pairs by RALPH V. SAGE.

Witnesses:

.T. R. WEMLINGER, HERBERT LUEBBERT. 

